Planing Edge-to-Edge Tapers

A recent commission involved making a 12"-wide by
5'-long ramped threshold for a doorway that spanned floors of different
heights. One edge needed to be 13⁄8"
thick, and the opposite edge 3⁄4"
thick. I realized that the easiest, most accurate way to make the taper would
be to plane the board at an angle, raising one edge the appropriate amount with
a full-length support strip.

I first milled the stock slightly oversized in width,
and just a bit over 13⁄8"
thick. I then marked my intended angle on one end of the board and placed it on
my bench. I shimmed under the intended thinner edge to bring the marked line
parallel to the benchtop and then measured from the underside of the raised
edge to the benchtop. After ripping a 5"-long support strip to that
measurement, I beveled one edge of it to complement the tilt of the board. All
that was left was to attach the support strip with double-faced tape and plane
the board down to my line. My client was so delighted with the accuracy of the
finished work that he presented me with a fifth of Scotch as a bonus.